The Elevator
by belgiques
Summary: When Dan and Blair get trapped in an elevator together, will they kill each other? Or will old unspoken history be revealed? Will they learn something more about each other, or just hate each other more? Dan/Blair, Blair/Chuck.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Elevator  
**Characters:** Dan/Blair friendship, Chuck/Blair  
**Genre:** Friendship, Romance, Hurt/Comfort  
**Summary:** When Dan and Blair get trapped in an elevator together, will they kill each other? Or will old history be revised? Will they learn something more about each other, or just hate each other more?

"So, I've been wondering, how did Blair and Chuck get together so suddenly? Last thing I heard they were still doing the _Cold War_ thing?"

Dan was strolling through the packed streets of New York with Serena, heading towards the Van der Woodsen apartment. It was still snowing, even though it was pretty dark outside. They'd spent the day together, shopping for last minute New Year's presents. Very last minute, seeing as it was New Year's Eve and they had to leave soon.

He asked the question in a casual tone, to act as if he had no clue about the whole situation. He was lying, and Serena knew that. She eyed him like she would be able to read the truth in his eyes.

"Don't try to Jedi mind trick me. Blair told me you two had a talk."

_It had been a while since she'd cried over Chuck Bass, but remembering that horrible day, she couldn't help it. Chuck and her had had a huge fight and he'd left slamming the door. It had been a week since then and what Blair mostly had done was being quiet, frumpy and pessimistic. Very unlike the Blair Waldorf who always took the world by storm._

_So she was walking somewhere in the city – she didn't even know exactly, and she certainly hadn't noticed the guy in front of her._

"_Blair?"_

_She looked up and saw Dan Humphrey, who she put up with only because of Serena. But this time, she didn't even bother coming up with an insult._

"_Oh, it's you." she commented faintly, with such a quiet voice that he noticed something was up._

"_Are you – okay?" he stumbled, not being used to seeing her like this at all. It kind of scared him._

"_No, not really." She paused for a moment and Dan understood she was waiting to say something. "Can I ask you something, Dan?"_

_Her use of his first name and her actually waiting for his response unsettled him even more. "Sure." He answered, because really, the way she looked and how she was just standing there – waiting for him to act, he couldn't just ignore it. He checked out their surroundings and discovered a wooden bench covered in snow._

"_Let's sit." He suggested, then guiding her to it by putting his hand on her back. They both sat down and for a moment, neither of them said anything._

"_Blair, you're scaring me with this passive behavior. Obviously, there's something wrong. You haven't insulted me once since you saw me. You can tell me, I'm not going to hurt you or anything…"_

_After he said that, she faced him with tears glistening in her brown dough eyes. "Why are you so nice to me? You don't like me, at all. I'm always horrible to you."_

_He had to think about that for a moment."I don't hate you. I believe you can be a very good friend to the people you care about."_

"_That doesn't really answer my question." She countered, still looking at him intently. He didn't know where she was going with this._

"_Well, I guess because you're Serena's best friend and you're important to her, and she's important to me."_

_Blair smiled, nodded and then grew silent again. Dan decided to just come out and ask her. "It's Chuck, isn't it? He's done something again, right?" "Serena didn't tell you?" she wanted to know. That'd made this moment a lot easier. But unfortunately, he shook his head._

"_But you can… if you want to." He encouraged her, noticing she was struggling with this as much as he was. But suddenly she started to talk and not stopping, her voice breaking a few times. "I waited so long until Chuck turned into a decent guy. When I was with Nate, I pictured myself in the future, getting married and having kids. But when we broke up..." She didn't finish her sentence, but Dan kept listening anyway. _

"_I still want that, and I want to be able to have that with Chuck, as weird as that may sound." she realized, a tiny grin forming on her lips, her eyes glancing at Dan, who had a grin on his face as well. Serena had always told him that Blair and Chuck would make a great couple, if they could both let go of their stubbornness._

"_But I don't know if I can keep giving him another chance. I don't know if he's worth it, or if my heart could take it."_

_He was surprised by the honesty and the vulnerability in her voice. She was still staring right into his eyes, hoping to find his answer there. Much to his dislike, his cheeks glowed in response. He had to say something._

"_How do you really feel about him, Blair?" He asked. She thought about it for a moment. "I love him. I can't help it. It's like you and Serena, we're so much alike but still so different."_

"_I know what you mean." He agreed. "Some days – most days, I can't miss her, but other days I wonder how we ever got together." He suddenly found it quite easy to talk to her. Finding someone who can relate. Now he understood why Serena always stood up for her._

_He shifted a bit and managed to find some advice when he thought about his blonde girl._

"_Look, I love Serena. We may have had bad times but the point is: if you love someone enough, you can forgive them anything. My dad always says 'If you don't take the risk for love, then what do you take it for?' and this time, he's right. I hope this doesn't sound to cheesy, but if you give your heart, you might get something amazing in return."_

_Blair eyed him in surprise and saw things clearly for once. He was right. She wanted to risk everything for Chuck, the guy she was so stupidly in love with that she'd didn't know what to do without him. It was hard for her to admit that Dan Humphrey of all people had made her see the 'light', but she would never look at him the way she did before._

_Out of the blue, she hugged him and he was a bit taken aback by that. "Thank you, Dan." She whispered as he pat her back and let her go. He just smiled and got up. "Who says you need Cupid? A guy from Brooklyn is way better." He joked as he gave her an encouraging nod and walked away through the snow…_

Serena stopped mid-step, taking his hand. "That was really sweet of you, Dan. It meant a lot to her. Because of you, she's happy now. With Chuck, oddly to say, but nevertheless…"

They soon reached the right building and walked through the door and up the stairs. "It was nothing, I would've said that to anybody. Who asked and looked like Bambi." He added to make the tension a little lighter.

Serena looked at him in a dismissive way and again, saw through his act. "But the fact you gave advice to Blair Waldorf still amazes me. You hate her."

"I don't _hate_ her, I just like a lot of people better." Dan protested.

"Whoa, that's a lot of stairs… You never use the elevator?" He commented when they reached the right floor. He was a little out of breath, but Serena looked like she was walking on a cloud. She chuckled and pulled him along, her heels clacking on the concrete floor. "I like to stay in shape, Daniel. You are as fit as my grandmother, or maybe even less. And she has a driver for everything. Oh BTW, the elevator acts up sometimes too and Eric's claustrophobic, so we hardly ever use it.

He shot her a look as she opened the door with her key. Jenny and Eric were sitting in the living room/hallway watching a movie. All the lights were out, only the streetlights fell through the window. Serena put them all on at once, earning annoyed grunts from their respective siblings.

"Thanks, kids, Jeneric have to get ready anyway." Rufus joked, giving Jenny and Eric a ship name as he descended the stairs, struggling to put a bow tie on. "As should you two. Found everything you needed?"

"Yeah, I got my dress and shoes. Dan however…" Serena trailed off, moving next to Jenny on the couch, who was smirking at her brother.

"Why are you so picky? Classic Dan." She added, to which Serena nodded. Dan waved it away. "I have something hanging in my closet back at the loft. I'll go get it later and I'll just meet you guys there. Problem solved. And at least I don't have 20 dresses I've never worn hanging in my closet." He countered, glaring at Serena and Jenny.

"And I think we're all grateful for that, Dan." His soon-to-be stepsister remarked.

"Hmm, I wouldn't be so sure. Maybe there's some hidden quality we don't about yet. I think Eleanor's looking for some male models with a nice set of legs." Chuck replied, being sarcastic but sounding oh so serious. Everyone chuckled except for Dan.

"Oh, thanks Chuck. I always knew you saw something in me. But to compliment my legs, wow. I'm speechless." He replied, returning some of that sarcasm. His 'brother' actually smiled and gave him an admirable look. Lily came downstairs soon and everyone got up to get ready. Dan left the loft and convinced Serena to meet him at the entrance around 10:30.

At the top of the stairs in the corridor, he decided to take the elevator anyway despite what Serena had said. Once he got to it, he immediately regretted it…

_AN – this was a huge first chapter, much larger than I planned. I hope you like the idea of my story and I'll post the following chapter as soon as possible. Review please if you like it, it only makes me upload another one faster! ___


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The Elevator  
**Characters:** Dan/Blair friendship, Chuck/Blair  
**Genre:** Friendship, Romance, Hurt/Comfort  
**Summary:** When Dan and Blair get trapped in an elevator together, will they kill each other? Or will old history be revised? Will they learn something more about each other, or just hate each other more?

---

_At the top of the stairs in the corridor, he decided to take the elevator anyway despite what Serena had said. Once he got to it, he immediately regretted it…_

Blair Waldorf turned around and pressed on the elevator button, noticing Dan. "Oh, Humphrey." She stumbled, playing with her hair.__

Dan nodded in response and put his hands in his pockets. Blair had no expression on her face. That was weird. Where was her trademark disgusted look as a reaction to his presence?__

"Where did you come from?" he asked, trying to be casual, but completely failing. Blair smiled anyway and lights lit up in her eyes. "Chuck's."__

He nodded again, smiling this time. Something about that look of hers was contagious.__

The elevator opened up with its usual 'ping' sound and Dan & Blair just looked at each other. "You going down, or are you going to keep standing there?" she asked, stepping in.__

Dan made an on-the-spot decision and held the door.__

"Isn't Serena with you? Aren't you two back together?" Blair tried when the door closed. Dan waited for a moment, then shook his head. "No, we're not. We decided it's best for us to stay friends, you know, with our parents getting married and everything. We're not really into the whole brother/sister thing." He smiled. She nodded in understanding, chuckling a bit as she pressed the button for the main floor.__

There was a silence until suddenly, the elevator stopped abruptly and fell down in heavy shakes. Blair screamed and maintained her balance by grabbing onto a bar. Dan had no such luck. He was smashed with his head against the wall and collapsed to the floor, unconscious. The elevator stopped again and left the brunette gasping for air. She looked at Dan and her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't handle unconscious people. She had no control over them, it was something she was scared to deal with.__

"Humphrey!" she demanded, pulling him up. Completely overwhelmed with panic, she threw off her shoes and the wrap of her dress and placed it under his head for support. She was crying a little, mostly out of sudden angst, she reminded herself. Silent, short sobs filled the space.__

"Wake up, Humphrey, wake up. Don't be dead. Serena will kill me if—" she stopped when Dan opened his eyes and moved a bit. She sighed out of relief and sat down against the wall. "Are you okay?"__

"Are you… crying?" he asked with a faint voice. Was he seeing things or was Blair Waldorf shedding tears over his wellbeing?__

Blair shook her head and wiped the tears with the back of her hand. "No, I'm not." She said firmly.__

Dan looked at her while sitting himself more straight. "Yeah, you are." He insisted, but she denied again with a stern "No, I'm not!"

He smiled and tried to get up. When he struggled, Blair took his hand and pulled him. Dan's head spun and just in time he grabbed the handle. "Whoa, too fast."

"Are you okay?" she asked him again. He nodded quickly, trying to move his focus from the pain. "I should've listened to what Serena said." He muttered, cursing himself for being lazy – and for not resisting the urge to get into an elevator with Blair.

"What? Why?" "She said it acts up sometimes." He explained, to which Blair just rolled her eyes. "I take this elevator almost every day. It's just bad luck." She said, grabbing a scrunchie out of her purse and putting her hair in a messy ponytail. Dan frowned; when was the last time he'd seen his 'sister's classy best friend do something that didn't fit that profile?

"Alright, we have to call someone." She decided when Dan, again, didn't react. She crouched down to grab her phone and she grunted. "Damn it, no signal. Of course, technology always fails you when you need it most."

After Dan told her he'd left his cell at the loft, they just sat there – Dan humming the melody to Ayo Technology, Blair singing the lyrics – and complained some more. "Normally, these things should have like, alarm phones or something. Now we just have to wait until someone notices something's not right." She sighed and started singing the chorus.

"On New Year's Eve." He said, knowing it could take a few hours, at least. She looked at him in silence.

"I hope we get out before the new year starts."

----

An hour later, help still hadn't come.

Dan asked Blair what time it was – it had been quiet for a while. "10:30." She read off her cell. The temperature in the small space began to rise, less oxygen, more heat.

"Damn," he replied, "I'm supposed to meet Serena right about now. She's going to be worried." "Chuck's waiting for me too." She mentioned with smile. A smile Dan returned. Next she looked down at her feet for a while, which Dan knew, meant that she had something to say but didn't know how to phrase it.

"You know, I –uh, never really thanked you for what you did. On Christmas Eve. Without you –" "—it would've taken a little bit longer for you two to get together, but you would've gotten there." He filled in himself.

"See, I don't know that. I needed someone to remind me. And you did, so thank you. Really."

---

Half an hour later, still nothing. Frustration and heat really began to set in.

"Maybe we should try pushing some random buttons again." Dan suggested, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and unbuttoning it a little.

"Maybe you shouldn't have left your phone at home." She countered, annoyed.

"Maybe you should just be quiet now." He rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm going to kill Serena for not noticing I'm not at my own party." Blair spat, the heat getting the best of her. Both of them, really.

"You know, maybe she's enjoying herself. Every think of that?" Dan said to her, more harsh than he meant to, but actually not regretting it. "Say, do you still treat your friends this way?"

Blair stood up, her expression dark but slightly caught off guard. She thought about her next answer, he was _not_ going to have the upper hand in this. "I've changed." She breathed.

"You can say that again." He remarked. Blair shot him a withering glare. Where was this coming from? "What are you saying, Dan?!"

He raised himself on his feet too and his eyes pierced into hers. "What I'm saying is that I'm sick and tired of you pretending like we don't have a history! Ever since we started high school, you made a 180 and acted like you didn't know me, hated me. And the fact that you never told Serena, or even Dorota, is just beyond me."

He realized this was so uncharacteristic for him, but 4 years of bottling it up had that effect on him. Blair was nailed to the ground and completely overwhelmed. She was at a loss of words, not even a syllable could escape from her throat. Her eyes were big and misted with the tears she fought.

Calmed down a bit because of Blair's reaction, Dan continued. "We were best friends for over 4 years, Blair. Didn't that mean anything to you? I don't like who you've become at all. Do _you_?"

She looked everywhere but at the boy in front of her and by doing so, she noticed something on the ceiling. "What's this…" she whispered to herself as she stretched on her tiptoes to reach for something.

Dan grew angrier at the sight. "Oh sure, ignore me. That's what you do best."

"Just shut up for one minute and help me out!" she interfered his rant and tried to reach higher. "There's some kind of wire here, maybe there's a way out." She fondled on something in the corner as her words got through to Dan. Wire? As in… electricity wire?

"No, Blair! Watch out!" Dan managed to mutter before the wire broke and electricity sparked out of it.

---

_AN – Sorry the second chapter took so long. I've been somewhat busy, but here it is. Only one more chapter to go, so really… this was a large one-shot. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading._


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Elevator  
**Characters:** Dan/Blair friendship, Chuck/Blair  
**Genre:** Friendship, Romance, Hurt/Comfort  
**Summary:** When Dan and Blair get trapped in an elevator together, will they kill each other? Or will old history be revised? Will they learn something more about each other, or just hate each other more?

---

_She fondled on something in the corner as her words got through to Dan. Wire? As in… electricity wire? "No, Blair! Watch out!" Dan managed to mutter before the wire broke and electricity sparked out of it._

Blair was frozen with fear, and for a millisecond she had no way out, until Dan put his arms around her and pinned her to the ground. She shrieked and resisted a bit as sparks filled the space, but Dan didn't let go.

When it was clear again, both of their hearts were still racing and they were breathing heavily.

"Oh my God." Blair whispered, slightly in shock.

"Are you hurt?" Dan asked, trying not to sound as anxious as he was.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." She repeated, as to convince not only him, but herself as well.

Finally getting back to his senses, he let go of her and got up, offering his hand to Blair. But with a loud rumble the elevator dropped again. This time, they both grabbed the handle in time and when it stopped again, they were both unharmed. More or less.

"Whoa." Dan exclaimed as he straightened himself and glanced at his classmate. "You still okay?"

He helped Blair to stand up and she responded, "Yeah, I'm fine." , shaking a bit. She stated it with relief in her voice, that quickly faded when she looked up at him. "But you're not. Dan, you're bleeding!" She flinched, bringing her hand up to his forehead.

"It's nothing, it'll stop." He tried to wave it away, but she saw through that disguise. She snatched her bag out of the corner and looked for the first-aid kit she always carried around. Ever since she was 11 and Serena (or Nate, she didn't quite remember) fell off a chair at her house. She promised herself to always be prepared after that.

"It's pretty deep though. Gives me an excuse to use this thing for once. Besides, you don't want it to infect, right? They may have to amputate your head if it does." She chuckled, holding up the kit, then opening it and grabbing some peroxide and gauze while pulling Dan to sit down.

"Wow, I've always wondered what was in that enormous bag. Besides of course, Dorota's leash and a darts board with my picture on it." He said laughing.

She smiled and continued to pack and unpack things of the kit.

"Does that hurt?" she asked, to which he simply responded "No.", looking her in the eyes.

They both felt really calm again, and comfortable too. They didn't feel like there was anything they needed to say to avoid awkwardness, but they did anyway.

"I always have this with me incase of an emergency, or you know, World War III or the Apocalypse or something." She explained and she went about it with the greatest ease and care. Dan was studying her movements closely and barely moved at all.

"So being trapped here with me is like your Apocalypse?" he asked her with a soft voice.

Her eyes fell to his as she grazed his cheek with her fingers after putting on a Band-Aid. "You know it isn't."

"Do I?" he countered.

The doubt and hint of hurt she heard in his voice was reflected on her face. She sighed and looked down, uncomfortable again. "Dan…"

He held his hands up in response. "Sorry. That wasn't fair." He apologized and after that, they were silent for a moment; Blair packing up the kit, Dan touching the Band-Aid.

They just sat in silence until Blair couldn't take it anymore.

She threw her bag to the side and put her hands on her temples in desperation. "What happened to us, Dan? We used to be so close. Like Blair-and-Serena close. Sometimes, I wished--, sometimes I want to go back to when we were young. Everything was so much easier when it was just you and me. Taking on the world. Without worrying about what everyone thought of us." she admitted with melancholy taking her over.

He looked at her in thought. "Maybe so, but I wouldn't want to miss all that I have now. An, albeit crazy, family with a step-sister that used to be my girlfriend and two step-brothers, one of them being Chuck Bass for Gods' sake. My dad's so happy with Lily and I want him to have that. He's deserved it after all that has happened with my mom." He said honestly, having no clue why he was saying all of this. It was as if he'd just realized it now.

Blair saw his expression changing to happiness and hers did exactly the opposite. She had to blink away the tears again and he took her hand to comfort her.

She pulled away. "No! Please, stop being so kind and considerate to me! You think you're making me feel better but you're only making it worse. Hearing you describe how happy you are now, only makes me realize how horrible I really am." Her anger got to a peak and she cried after that.

"You were there for me when Daddy left – you stayed up all night talking to me on the phone, made sure you came over twice a day to check up on me, forced me to movie nights that usually meant me falling asleep on your couch…"

Dan smiled at the memory. "Yeah, I remember that. My dad wouldn't let me put you in my bed. He didn't trust me." He remembered with a grin.

And Blair was looking at him with those big Bambi eyes of hers. He hated that. But not really.

"You were all that I needed then and where was I when you needed the same? Being a bitch to Serena for 'stealing' a fashion show from me."

Dan shook his head and fidgeted with the hem of Blair's dress. "Blair, I'm not going to say I understand it, but I will say I know what a kindhearted person you can be, you just need to remember it."

Her eyes pierced into his when she spoke with a broken sound, merely a whisper, but with so much regret and feelings and God knows what else in it, Dan didn't know what to reply other than "I know, me too." and so all that was left to do was simple. He pulled her close to him and she wrapped her arms around his body with a fierce grip, burying her face in his shoulder and taking in his scent. It hadn't changed.

He stroked her hair and felt his eyes getting watery himself. He'd forgotten how it was like to hug Blair Waldorf. He felt a sudden rush of melancholy coming over him as he took her face in his hands.

And then before she had a chance to react or think at all, he leaned in and caught her upper lip between his two, her lip gloss sweet against his mouth.

She was looking at him in a sort of amazement like she couldn't quite believe what had just happened. "What was that for?" she stumbled.

"I wanted to remember what my first kiss was like." He said unexpectedly, and he could've sworn she was blushing. She nodded slightly and bit her lower lip in thought. Then she leaned in and kissed him, moving to sit in his lap. And he kissed her back.

For a few minutes, it was all hands and kisses and no air, but then, as every moment ends, Blair thought of Chuck and how much she loved him. Hell, she was kissing the guy who reminded her of that fact. She pulled away and put her hand on Dan's chest.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this. I – I love Chuck. I do."

He got back to reality too and did something between a sigh and a chuckle. "I know. Sorry, it's my fault, I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what came over me, Chuck's my… brother."

He smiled against all odds. She wrapped her arms around his neck again, leaning into him.

"Where do we go from here?" she wondered, her hot, pink cheek almost burning a hole in his shirt.

"I guess we just wait and see… try to go back to normal. Start off as frenemies instead of enemies."

She agreed and as on cue, they heard the sound of metal being pushed aside. Blair quickly moved from Dan's lap next to him, still holding a firm grasp on his hand. The elevator doors opened up, showing two firemen and the janitor.

"Everything all right in here? Sorry for the wait." The janitor spoke, wiping his forehead like he hadn't been standing there while the firefighters did all the work. Reminded Dan of Blair a bit.

"Hey Mike." He greeted the man, who did the same, Dan earning an unbelievable look from Blair. "You know him?" she asked, stating the obvious.

"Hey, I'm still a Brooklyn guy. I befriend the staff." He grinned as they both stepped out into the cold winter breeze, the two of them all straightened up. Mike the Janitor wished them a Happy New Year and that's when they realized – the Waldorf party.

"Crap, what time is it?" they asked in unison.

"23:30. Almost 2010." He answered exited before going back inside, leaving them alone again. It was a little awkward.

"Think we'll better go…" Blair hesitated; Dan found it pretty amusing and chuckled at the sight, grabbing her hand.

"Come on, _Waldorf_, we have a party to go to…" he reminded her and pulled her along down the street.

They arrived at the Waldorf-Rose residence five minutes before the ball dropped.

"Dan!" Serena called out with a mix of excitement and worry. He reached her through the stream of people, noticing his dad and Lily eyeing them from across the room.

"And Blair? Wait, you two came together?" she questioned as Nate, Vanessa and Chuck joined them.

"We got trapped inside the elevator in your building, they just freed us now. Hey honey." Blair added when Chuck came over and kissed her. None of them saw the flash of guilt on both of their faces.

"Dan, you're hurt. What happened?!"

"Oh, a flying, sparking wire and the elevator dropping. But it's fine, Blair helped me." Dan reassured her.

Serena looked at her best friend with disbelief and surprise. "You used your Apocalypse kit?"

Blair nodded in response. "And I did good, didn't I? I told you that thing would come in handy."

"Wait," Nate interfered, pointing at both Dan and Blair, "you two spent two hours alone together and you both made it out alive?"

Before they could answer, everyone started to count down. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,..."

"Ready for a new year, big brother?" Serena asked with a smile.

"I think I can handle it." He replied, his words full of hidden meaning.

"3, 2, 1. Happy New Year!"

Everybody screamed and found someone to kiss or hug. As Dan hugged Serena, he glanced at Blair and Chuck sweetly wishing each other an amazing year.

After Dan, Serena went and embraced everyone else, even Chuck.

"It's going to be a great year, _sis_." He smirked that typical 'I'm Chuck Bass' smirk and Serena replied with a slightly sarcastic "Yeah, let's hope so, Chuck."

Finally, Dan turned to Blair but simply said "Happy New Year, Waldorf."

"I think it might just be…" She replied with a wink that got them both laughing. This was going to be interesting.

Spotted: B and Lonely Boy waving a white flag? Has Queen B dropped the guns and invited the King of Brooklyn into her circle? I'm dying to find out. And what a year can bring, you ask? We'll just have to wait and see.

You know you love me,  
Xoxo Gossip Girl.

* * *

_This was huge! I truly apologize for the long wait, but I hope I can make it up with this final chapter. I hope you liked my story. Enjoy and thanks for reading!_


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